


Black Friday's Lucky Virgin

by vivilove



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Black Friday, Christmas Fluff, Crush at First Sight, F/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-23
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-09-01 17:51:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8632642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivilove/pseuds/vivilove
Summary: Jon Snow has never been shopping on Black Friday before but is on a mission to obtain a hard to find gift for his niece.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Trying to get myself in the holiday shopping spirit last night and thought up this bit of fluff. Hope you like it.
> 
> I googled 'popular, hard-to-find Christmas gifts' for this year and Hatchimals came up. Thought they would work as the coveted item for this tale.

_Why am I here again?_ Jon Snow wondered as he stood in line outside the huge discount box store in Winterfell. His half-sister, Rhaenys, had called him in a panic from Kings Landing last night and said he had to go out and find her daughter a Hatchimal for Christmas.

“She’s your only niece, Jon! She’s asked Santa for one. Santa has to come through. Do you want to see her little soul crushed on Christmas morning?”

“No, Rhae, but why do _I_ have to go find one? And what the hell is a Hatchimal?”

“You have to go because every store in Kings Landing has been sold out for weeks. Winterfell’s so much smaller. I was just hoping you could, you know, get lucky there.”

 _Yeah, I’ve not been getting lucky much lately, Rhae_. But Jon kept that thought to himself as she continued.

“Google it. It’s this egg thing that hatches into a little furry critter. They’re really cute and weird and all the rage in 1st grade this Christmas.”

“Rhae, you know how much I hate shopping any day of the week. But Black Friday? Why don’t you just come up here and peel off a few of my fingernails?”

“Come on…please. Think of Rhaella’s sweet little face lighting up on Christmas morning…think of your sister and her sanity. I’ll get you something extra nice for Christmas.”

“Better than last year’s car care kit?”

“Is that what I gave you last year? Crap…Okay, way better than that.”

“When do they open?”

“Six.”

“Six?! As in 6 A.M.?!”

“No, silly. Six tomorrow night.”

“But tomorrow’s Thanksgiving.”

“No shit.”

“Why is it called Black Friday if it’s on Thanksgiving, which is on Thursday, then?”

“Just go, alright?! And get there early!”

 

Jon pulled his winter cap down over his ears and pulled out his gloves as he stood in line behind at least 50 people that evening. It was already getting dark and it was turning very cold. He had arrived an hour before the store was to open because he didn’t really have anything much else to do. He had eaten his huge dinner at the station with the other guys. He was pleasantly stuffed but the turkey and a less than exciting Vikings/Lions game, combined with Sam’s non-stop talking, was putting him to sleep on the couch, so he decided to head on to the store before he fell asleep and let his sister (and niece) down.

 

The people on either side of him in line had come in groups. The three older ladies in front of him were obviously organizing their shopping efforts with others via their cell phones. To hear them talk, you would think they were planning to invade a neighboring country and establish a new regime in the next two hours.

“I’m just concerned with how many they’ll actually have,” one of the women said.

“Well, the ad said at least 50 in each store” the next one said.

“I need one for each of my three granddaughters, plus Harriet asked me to snag a couple for her girls since she’s going to the electronics store to get the video games my grandsons want,” the third lady said.

 _Surely they’re not here for the same thing_ , Jon mused.

He glanced back at the people behind him. It was a mom with her two teenagers, a boy and a girl.

“Why am I here again?” the boy asked.

 _My thoughts exactly, buddy_.

“I’ve got a huge list and I need you guys to help me. Divide and conquer, Bran.”

“Mom, I _hate_ shopping.”

“I know, dear. Now shut up.”

His sister started laughing.

“Come on, Bran. Black Friday’s awesome. It’s the only time you can throw your elbows and shoulders into perfect strangers. It’s like a non-stop rugby scrum!”

“Arya!”

“What? It’s why you bring me with you, Mom. You know it is.”

Jon snickered and the three of them glanced at him. He tried to look like he wasn’t eavesdropping but it was apparent he was.

The mom gave him a smile and said, “Sorry, my daughter’s rather exuberant when it comes to Black Friday.” She then admonished the girl to not actually commit assault.

“Sorry for eavesdropping. I’m here alone and there’s not much else to do but listen to other people talk.”

“That’s okay. Do you do this every year?”

“No, first time.”

“You’re a virgin then? Holy crap. He’s a virgin, too, Bran,” the girl, Arya, said.

“Would you _please_ stop calling me a virgin, Arya?” Bran whined.

“Why? You are a Black Friday virgin…and the other kind, too.”

“Shut up, Arya.”

“Children!” the mom shouted. “Here, you might want to look at this,” she said to Jon. “The store gives these out to give you an idea of where the hot items are located.”

Jon looked down at the flier he had rejected earlier when a clerk tried to pass him one. _It’s a map. Am I going on a treasure hunt? Wait, why are the Hatchimals in the Ladies’_ _Lingerie section?_

She turned back to him after getting the kids to settle down again and apologized for their behavior but Jon was laughing.

“No, it’s okay. They remind me of me and my sister growing up. And thanks for this. I won’t waste time in the wrong section of the store now.”

“Does your sister live here?”

“No, she lives in Kings Landing. I don’t have any family here. She’s actually my half-sister.”

_Why the hell am I telling this to a complete stranger?_

But the mom looked at him kindly and held out her hand. “I’m Catelyn Stark. And these are two of my children, Bran and Ayra.”

Jon shook hands and introduced himself. Before long, Mrs. Stark had learned that he was a firefighter and single.

“What did you do for Thanksgiving?” she asked in horror, clearly picturing him at home alone with a sad little frozen turkey dinner.

“Oh, the station puts on a big spread for all of us. I got off duty this morning but hung around to eat and watch a little football before I headed over here.”

Jon learned that Mrs. Stark’s husband was passed out at home in a ‘turkey coma’ while her youngest son, Rickon, played video games there.

“Lucky Rickon,” Bran muttered under his breath.

He also was informed that her eldest son, Robb, was married with twin four-year-old daughters and that her other daughter, Sansa, was supposed to join them shortly with coffee.

 _Coffee would be nice about now_ , Jon thought as he blew on his gloved hands.

Catelyn took out her phone and the two kids started bickering again. Jon looked at his watch.

 _5:35PM. Rhae, I better get a really good gift this year_.

 

Jon was stomping his feet in place to warm them and looking back at how far the line stretched behind them now. Arya had started talking about her rugby team and, as Jon was a fan of the sport, they fell into a companionable discussion.

“There she is,” Bran exclaimed interrupting their small talk.

Jon looked up and his eyes widened as the loveliest redhead he’d ever seen came walking up with a cardboard tray in one hand and a tumbler in the other. She smiled at him shyly and turned to Mrs. Stark.

“Sansa, I was beginning to wonder.”

“Sorry, Mom. Robb called to ask a favor and I had to jot down what he wanted. Here’s your Gingerbread Latte, Bran. And one large black coffee for you, Arya.”

Her siblings hummed appreciatively as Sansa handed her mother her French Vanilla Cappuccino.

“Are you Jon?” she then asked.

Jon had been staring rather slack-jawed at her but it was beyond the realm of possibility that she had actually spoken to him… _wasn’t it?_ She kept looking at him with big blue eyes that Jon was pretty sure he could drown in and smiling at him though.

 _She’s speaking to you, idiot…answer her_.

“Uh, yeah. I’m Jon.” _God, Snow. You sound like a moron_. “You’re Sansa?”

“Yes, that’s me. Here. I got you black coffee. There’s some cream and sugar on the tray if you want to add them.”

Jon took the drink and a packet of sugar and looked over at Catelyn.

“I texted Sansa to bring you one. It’s awfully chilly tonight.”

“Thanks. That’s really nice of you…both of you.”

Jon sipped his coffee and listened to Sansa and her mother discuss their shopping list. Jon was trying not to stare too blatantly but it was hard not to. She was gorgeous and sounded awfully sweet, too, as he listened to her talk.

Arya leaned over and whispered, “She’s single.”

Jon’s eyebrows shot up and he gave his new best friend, Arya, a big smile.

“Um…how old is she?” he whispered back.

“Twenty-two.”

 _Thank God...Just three years younger_.

He was soon drawn into Sansa and Catelyn’s discussion. Sansa had just started veterinary school and worked at the animal shelter part time. They soon discovered that they both owned huskies which they adored. They continued chatting comfortably together while Catelyn turned her attention back to her phone for a bit.

In a few minutes though, Sansa said, “Oh, Mom, before I forget, Robb called because he wanted me to get both of the girls a Hatchimal…whatever the hell that is.”

“Wait! Robb’s sending us to get Christmas gifts for the girls while he sits on his ass at home?” Bran asked indignantly.

“Brandon Stark…watch it,” his mother scolded.

“That’s funny,” Jon said. “That’s what I’m here for as well. My sister wanted me to get one of those for my niece.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet of you, Jon,” Sansa said.

But now Arya was suddenly giving him the stare down…like an opponent…like an enemy. _Shit_.

 

Jon had just finished his coffee when there was a rumble of sound and a ripple of movement through the crowd. He glanced at his watch.

 _6 o’clock_ …

“Look out, virgin,” Arya said with a smirk.

The crowd began moving in short halting steps at first. The people behind were right on the heels of the Starks, surging forward like an untamable beast. As the people in front began to move though, everyone started breaking into a trot. Jon was in excellent shape. He was a firefighter after all but he didn’t want to mow down the old ladies in front of him.

As they neared the doors though things became less orderly. Now people from behind them were shoving their way past him and most people were breaking into a sprint. As people tore off in different directions, he witnessed more than one collision.

“This is insane,” he said aloud to himself.

“Yeah,” Sansa answered. “I lost a shoe once. Be careful, Jon.”

Jon suddenly didn’t care as much about getting to the ladies’ lingerie department and finding the blasted Hatchimal. What he wanted to do was ask Sansa for her number before he lost her in this sea of shoppers.

 _Too late_ , he realized in disappointment as the tide separated them. _Alright, you are here for a reason. Get that freaking toy!_

Jon booked it back to the lingerie department and encountered what looked an awful lot like a riot. Grown-ups were grabbing little colorful boxes of Hatchimals and screaming and cursing at each other. He saw a woman actually grab one out of another woman’s arms. The neatly stacked pallet full of toys from the flier was already three-fourths of the way gone.

 _Shit! I’d better grab one_.

Jon darted an arm in like he grasping tonight’s winning lotto numbers out of a bag and, as soon as he felt his hand touch something that felt like a box, he yanked it back.

_Got one!_

Jon looked across the pile and spotted Sansa with two Hatchimals of her own. She looked up and smiled at him and he smiled back.

 _This might be my chance_ , he thought as he edged around the crowd.

But the next thing he saw was Sansa falling backwards as some asshole shoved into her.

“Hey!” Jon shouted at the oblivious dickhead. “Watch it!”

Sansa was in a heap underneath at rack of sexy Christmas lingerie. Jon decided against punching the stranger… _even if he would’ve deserved it_ …and reached down to help Sansa up.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. Thanks, Jon.”

Jon chuckled when he got her to her feet. The hanger from a lacy red bra with furry white trim had gotten tangled in Sansa’s long auburn locks. He reached over and gently plucked the hanger and bra from her hair. Sansa blushed when she saw what he had in his hand.

“Okay, I wasn’t planning on buying that,” she joked.

“I’ll bet it’d look great on you,” Jon said without thinking. _Oh, my God! Did I just say that out loud?_

Sansa turned redder and he was now certain that he had indeed said that out loud.

“I mean…um…crap…” and he rolled his eyes to himself.

She giggled and grasped his free hand, “Thanks, Jon.”

“Uh, Sansa. I know we just met but I was wondering…”

Before he could get the words out, he felt a violent tug at his elbow and suddenly his arm that had been hugging the Hatchimal box was empty.

“What the…” he exclaimed.

When he turned, he saw one of the old ladies that had stood in front of him in line with his box…his toy…his Hatchimal…Rhalla’s present. Jon just stood there in shock as the old lady darted away without so much as an embarrassed glance.

“Oh, Jon. Your Hatchimal…I’m so sorry. You can have one of mine.”

“Did you see what she just did?!”

“Yeah, I saw,” Sansa said with a bit of a smile.

Jon was furious. He felt like stomping his feet and throwing a tantrum for a moment.

“This is no way for adults to behave!”

“You’re right about that.”

Jon looked back at the beautiful woman standing next to him and decided to go for broke.

 _One good thing might come out of this night at least_.

“Sansa, would you like to go out with me sometime?”

Her smile got bigger and she nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Sansa gave him her number and offered one of her Hatchimals again.

“Nah…that’s for your nieces. I’ll find one somewhere.”

Just as they were heading up to check out, they ran into Arya…who was holding about ten Hatchimals in her skinny arms.

“No luck, virgin?”

“No,” Jon said with a smile. “But I did get your sister’s number, so I’m not complaining.”

“Here. You can have one of these.”

“Wow, Arya. Really? Thanks so much.”

“You’re welcome. Now, I’ve got to find Mom and get home so I can sell these suckers online.”

 

Jon and Sansa made their purchases and headed out to the parking lot that was littered with coffee cups, food wrappers and fliers. Snow had started falling and was melting in her hair.

“So, what’d you think?” Sansa asked as they got to her car.

“That was crazy and I don’t think I ever want to do that again.”

“Really?” she asked with a pout.

“Well, maybe with the right person,” he answered with a grin.  He leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Can I call you tomorrow?”

“Yes, I’d like that,” she answered.

Whether her cheeks were pink from the cold or his kiss, Jon wasn’t sure. He really hoped it was the latter though.

As Sansa drove off, Jon’s got a text from his sister.

_Any luck?_

_Yep, I got one._

_Great! You are the world’s best brother and uncle. I owe you a super nice present now._

_That’s okay. Don’t bother. I got something really nice out of it._


End file.
